Ewan MacDonald from Inverness is thrilled after being inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame.
The three-time world and two-time European champion has been confirmed as one of this year’s inductees by the World Curling Federation alongside two other players – Perth-based Peter Smith and the USA’s Bill Strum.
MacDonald, 47, racked up more than 200 international appearances, with his world titles secured in 1999, 2006 and 2009, and his European crowns earned in 1999 and 2008 with Scotland.
He also represented Team GB at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics and only missed out on a medal by a fraction in 2006 – finishing fourth, just behind the US rink.
The north ace has starred for Scotland in 10 world championships overall, with three golds, one silver and one bronze medal in the locker.
He explained how much his name being in the hall of fame alongside the sport’s greats means to him, saying: “It’s a massive honour to receive recognition of this nature. I wasn’t expecting it, so it was nice to receive the letter from the World Curling Federation, saying they would like to induct me into the hall of fame.
“I’m incredibly proud.
“It’s funny, you start down a path when you start competing and you don’t know where it’s going to go. You have ideas and aspirations of where you want it to go, but it’s never a smooth path.
“To achieve what I have has been tremendous.
“It’s fantastic to be inducted alongside some fantastic names and guys I looked up to and had great battles against over the years, who have contributed a great amount to the sport. It’s really special to be included within that list of talent.”
Success came in variety of forms
MacDonald reflected on his three world crowns, with each meaning different things to him.
He said:Â “The World Championship wins have all been very special in their own way.
“In 1999, I was 23 and it was my first World Championship, so you would never forget that.
“In 2006, we’d had an absolute heart-breaker at the Olympics that February – we lost the semi-final by a couple of millimetres to go to the final, then lost the bronze game on the last shot. That was really tough, so for us to bounce back by winning the Scottish Championship then go on and win the worlds a couple of months after that was special. It showed great character and strength of our team to achieve that.
“In 2009, to beat Kevin Martin’s Canadian team on their own patch three nights back-to-back was incredible.
“They were the best team in the world at the time, one of the best teams to have played actually, so to win it that year was amazing. It was a huge achievement.”
MacDonald is happy to step into the hall of fame with Smith, with whom he’s shared success at the top level.
He added: “Pete was fifth man in our team when we won the Worlds in 2006 and then he was in our team when we won the Worlds in 2009. He’s had a fantastic career as well, so it’s great for him.”
Team work is foundation for success
Away from the ice, MacDonald is managing partner in Scotland for family firm MacDonald Group – an insurance broking and financial services business.
He hailed those who supported him to achieve his curling success, adding: “When you play elite sport at that level, the sport is at the centre, and the remainder of your life comes around about it.
“You have to be really committed to it, put in a huge amount of training and you spend a lot of time travelling. It takes a massive amount of dedication to get to that point.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have been involved in some great teams and had amazing coaches and massive support from the Scottish Institute of Sport throughout my career.
“I have also had massive support in my personal life, which has helped me achieve what I have.
“My wife Amy has been amazing, and I could never have achieved my success without her, and my families’ incredible support as we ran the family business in those times, were so important. I could never have achieved what I did in curling without that.
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“You can achieve great things if you surround yourself with great people and that has very much been the case in my sporting career, and in the business today. We have a fantastic team.”
Gearing up for Canadian celebrations
The inductees will be recognised by the World Curling Federation in Ottawa, Canada, during the World Men’s Curling Championship, which takes place between April 1 and 9.
And MacDonald is delighted he will be able to share in the celebration with loved ones.
He said: “My wife Amy and oldest son Jake are coming with me.
“Jake curls, too, so it will be really nice for him to experience the championship environment and Ottawa will be a great host.”
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